Microbes: A key player in industrial wastewater treatment

Abstract

Microbes are environmentally, economically, and socially important. These are being exploited for a wide range of products, e.g., enzymes, probiotics, biofuels like bioethanol, hydrogen gas, etc. from centuries. Currently, on an industrial scale, these microbes are playing important roles to clean up toxic waste. Microorganisms and their enzymes are chiefly involved in the breakdown of organic materials in wastewater. They perform a key role and act as main engineers in governing all ecological processes. They act as a universal catalyst and provide ecological transformations. Bioremediation is a system that utilizes microorganisms to degrade the pollutants present in wastewater and in soil environments with technological innovations. It is a technique that removes biodegradable complex toxic substances into harmless and acceptable end products, e.g., CO2 and H2O through cellular metabolisms. The suspended and nonsettling colloid are captured and incorporated as biological floc and biofilm. Valuable metals, specific organic constituents, and important nutrients can be removed and recovered. It is a cheaper technology with no waste generation as a byproduct. Bioremediation, besides being a cost effective and eco-friendly method, also provides best alternative to conventional methods of treatment. © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.